Local Youth Leads Project To Fix Hummingbird Hill Trail

PUYALLUP, WA — The next time you find yourself hiking the freshly improved stairs on the Hummingbird Hill section of Clarks Creek 5-Mile Loop Trail in west Puyallup, consider a quiet, personal 'thank you' to the 30 people — adults and youth — who helped return the small section of weathered, sloping, muddy trail back to easily climbable terrain.

The earthen staircase improvement project was headed up by Eagle Scout Bryon Hill, who was further assisted by his families from both Boy Scout Troop 679 in Spanaway and the Bethel High School Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).

Located just south of 19th Avenue Southwest, branching off the cul-de-sac end of 13th Street Southwest, the improved trail staircase was one of a handful of city projects that Puyallup Civil Engineer Ted Hill chose to pass along to his son for his Eagle Scout project.

"I have always enjoyed merging my work life with my scouting life. It is a win-win for everyone involved," Ted told Patch in an email. "Since this is a project for the City of Puyallup and I work in the Engineering Department, it makes it extra special to be my child who has stepped up to make it happen and to see the support from both his scout family as well as his ROTC family."

Bryon, Ted, and 28 others gathered together on April 20 to fix the staircase, ultimately spending the better portion of one day spreading 10 yards of rock and several buckets of fresh fill-in wood chips, and setting the new stairs in place.

"It feels really good to know people who like the outdoors will be using it for many years to come," Bryon said.

Though he'd never done a project like this before, Bryon is heavily involved in programs and projects that give back to the greater Puyallup community, Ted said.

From JROTC and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department cadet program to his advancement to the next stage of acceptance into a Criminal Justice program offered by the Pierce County Skills Center, Bryon said that he's not only interested in learning the valuable life skills offered by such programs, but he's also a fan of just selflessly giving back to his community — a virtue he apparently got from his dad.

"My wife and I have tried to lead by example," Ted explained. "I stay pretty involved through volunteering for Scouts, Relay for Life, miscellaneous community boards, and programs at my kids' school.

"I am positive that scouting has bestowed above average moral values in Bryon's life, (and) he is well aware of right from wrong," he continued. "I am told by his teachers that he is always friendly, kind (two points of the scout law), and he tends to care more about others before himself."

Those qualities should come to serve both Bryon and the Pierce County region well when Bryon eventually takes up rank among the Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputy staff.

Already involved in the cadet program, Bryon — who turns 16 on May 17 — said his current plans are to finish high school and attend community college before applying to the sheriff's department when he reaches 21.